The original Arctic Club was established in 1908 by the few adventurers who found their fortune in the Klondike gold rush. The organization was a social community for businessmen with Alaska ties, former Alaska residents, adventurers, miners and weal … show more

The original Arctic Club was established in 1908 by the few adventurers who found their fortune in the Klondike gold rush. The organization was a social community for businessmen with Alaska ties, former Alaska residents, adventurers, miners and wealthy eccentrics who returned to Seattle with money and stories of adventure. In 1916, the group moved into the Arctic Building. Photos of original members will be prominently displayed throughout the hotel as a nod to the property's roots.

The Gold Rush was a pivotal era for the city of Seattle. Rapid economic and population growth turned the waterfront port from a town into a true metropolis. In 1908, the entrepreneurs, industrialists and artists who returned to Seattle from the Klondike with more than mere memories founded social clubs. A few years later, the members of the Arctic Club commissioned one of the city's most prominent architects, A. Warren Gould to design the Arctic Building in 1916. The original interior design featured fine Alaskan marble and leaded glass in the ceiling of the gilded Rococo Dome Room. Nonetheless, the most memorable aspect of the building remains the walrus heads, which adorn the third floor exterior.